They say you should not get to know your heroes as they will only disappoint. Very few heroes grow in stature when you get to know them as individuals, but Billy McNeill did just that. He was more than just a football hero, more than just the first Briton to lift the European Cup, more than an imperious player, manager and authority in the game. He was generous with his time, interested in those he met, always happy to engage with fans, the perfect ambassador of our community. We lost him today, aged 79, after years of dementia.
None of us today, including those who are old enough to remember the fifties, could probably explain just what an impact Billy, Jock Stein and the rest of the Lisbon Lions had. Eight years had passed since Celtic won a trophy before the big man rose to head the winner in the 1965 Scottish Cup Final against Dunfermline. That in itself was a momentous event. If the story ended there, that Cup win, that header, would be secure in our memory. But so much more followed.
A club which had been starved of success for 40 years was deluged in glory. Nine-in-a-row was a world record. When the run ended, there was disappointment, but we were also able to look back on a staggering achievement. The European Cup, a further final and two semi-finals took Celtic and Billy’s reputations across Europe. This was a team of winners led by a titan. Billy, articulate and charming, was master of all.
He became manager of Celtic, who finished the previous season in fifth place, in 1978, immediately restoring the club to the top of Scottish football. He repeated this obligement in 1987, but by then the tides were turning. Money would determine success from that point on and Billy retired to what was his first role at Celtic – a supporter.
News of Billy’s dementia spread before the family made the announcement and I met him a few times during that period. On one occasion, he stopped my son with a question: “When did Celtic win the European Cup?” On hearing the right answer, Billy joked, “You’ve got a better memory than me.” And with a smile, added, “I suppose I should stop making jokes like that”. The inner strength the man had was astonishing.
The last time I spoke to Billy he was in the company of John Clark and I was with my Dad. After a few moments chat, Billy said, “I remember you, you delivered butcher meat to my mother.” 40 years had passed since that was true, and Billy was already suffering dementia, but he remembered the ordinary Celtic fans who returned the joy he gave them for so many years. Even through his illness, he inspired and impressed.
For all the trophies, the goals and the glory, my fondest memory of Billy is when the Celtic media team took him back to the tunnel at Estadio Nacional. He explained the team’s walk from the dressing room and how they raised themselves in that tunnel for the task ahead. None of what that team did was easy. It took courage, hard work and extraordinary ability.
If you met him, if you knew him, tell people about him for the rest of your life. Share the memories and the joy. Remind people that he was hard as granite when he needed to be, that he was intelligent, funny and a great football player.
Today’s loss is overwhelmingly to Liz, the family and their close friends. The rest of us can only wonder at how lucky we were to have Billy in our lives.
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Is there a more iconic photograph in football than the one of an imperious Billy Mcneill holding aloft the European Cup? Cesar became Caesar that day.
JJ
Looks like we’ve got new friends in Spain.
https://twitter.com/Athletic_en/status/1120277344676196352/video/1
RIP Billy McNeil.
Thank you for everything Billy, you epitomised all that is good about our club.
HH
RIP Big Billy. Condolences and sympathy to his family.
I am in my 60th year so have many great memories of our Captain as a player. However my first recollection on hearing the news of his passing this morning was not of Lisbon, or of the nine, but rather randomly, a game against the Sheep at Parkhead in the early eighties, when Billy was Manager. It was the usual bad tempered affair, which Aberdeen won I think. Billy was ranting at the MIB from the dugout, and the MIB motioned Billy towards him. Billy was furious, he drew himself up to his full height and marched straight on to the pitch towards the MIB. I actually thought that he was going to smash the ref, such was his rage, but he stopped with his nose about an inch from the MIB’s face for what seemed like ages, before the ref sent him off. Billy had his say, and then marched in to the stand. I was in the Jungle, which was in ferment with rage, he certainly got the crowd going.
HAIL HAIL CESAR
?⚽️
Much more than a Club, much more than a Player.
Hail, Hail Cesar.
YNWA.
Lovely and fitting tribute Paul . HH
The comments on Follow Follow about Billy are full of wonderful comments and sincerity, a man who is remembered for his dignity, respect and humility on both sides of the Glasgow divide, por cierto
RIP Billy and May eternal light shine upon you. YNWA
Auldheid, the very one. Thanks. You’re right too. It was the great Charlie Gallagher whose crosses Big Billy met.
As for myself:I’m still in hospital. They need to do at least one further examination.
RIP Cesar, a one off. Never forgotten.
Really nice words P67.
A sad loss to the Celtic family today but we can go on to celebrate the great man’s life.
Billy will always be a legend, and will be sorely missed.
Hail Cesar
Trying to write this through the tears. Firstly my prayers are for the repose of Billy’s great soul and for the Liz and the family that they may find consolation and hope in this sad time. They will have the Celtic family around them to share their sadness.
I first met Billy when I was a student in Belgium in the 1960s. He was in the Scotland under 21s that played Belgium in Brugge. A gentleman then and always would be. Then I was fortunate to be in LIsbon and met him on the morning after the Game. Several other occasions allowed me the opportunity to appreciate that he never changed, always the gentleman and the true Celt.
Those of us who lived through those days with the Lions will forever be grateful for all we received from them with Big Cesar as their leader. Billy will forever be among the Celtic greats.
May his great soul rest in peace.
Very well articulated, Paul. Some really nice anecdotes which give a picture of the human side of the man to add to the football side that we know so well.
Sad, sad news.
The legend of legends. A true leader and inspiration.
Thank you sincerely for all you did for our great club and for making it what it is.
RIP Billy. Condolences to family.
RIP CESAR . MR CELTIC . HH
4:45 Sedgefield today Celtic Legend .
How apt would that be ?
HH
Lovely words Paul67 and goodbye Billy, a true legend of a man.
RIP.
Hunderbirds.
that struck up my memory bank there.
that infamous game we got beat by aberdeen, andrew waddell was the referee, and i think he sent Danny McGrain off for a double booking. Found the picture, now to read the match report/
http://image.wikifoundry.com/image/1/YT6Soy2MZV4uiFAZ2ZMkNA337594/GW440H1085
EMERALDBEE\O/ STILL PROUD TO BE AN INTERNET BAMPOT on 23RD APRIL 2019 12:21 PM
Looks like we’ve got new friends in Spain.
https://twitter.com/Athletic_en/status/1120277344676196352/video/1
—————-
that is actually wonderful.
bilbao are on my list of places that i need to vosit. when jason higgins took part in the Homebhoys podcasts he would wax lyrically about the similarities of the clubs and why he supported us , them and everton.
wonderful listens if you can find the old episodes.
BILLY McNEILL RIP .
In my mind’s eye —
His competitive debut v Clyde in 1958 . We won
His last League appearance – St Johnstone 1975 . We lost .
The winning goal in the 65 Cup Final – . I hadn’t seen Celtic lift a trophy since 1957 .Welcome to the future. !!! (and what a future it was )
The last minute header v Vojvodina in 67 .
Seeing him lifting that Cup in that Stadium on that May Night in 67 ….
The opening goal v The Deady Bears in the 69 Cup Final .
BILLY McNEILL RIP:
The sight of Billy lofting the big cup in Lisbon always brings a tear to my eye. He will never be forgotten among the Celtic family. Met him once by chance in a restaurant in Johannesburg of all places. My wife cringed at me approaching him to say hello, not just hello, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the memories. He was a perfect gentleman.
It’s a sad day. As many have said, one of the family has gone. Condolences to the McNeil family.
I’m going to be in Lisbon on May 25 and will take a quiet moment to remember Billy and the enormity of the achievement of he and the other Lions.
RIP Billy
I have so many memories of Billy McNeill, both as a player and a manager, but two in particular stick out.
The first is being carried shoulder high off the pitch by his teammates after the 1975 Scottish Cup Final. When we’re young it’s difficult to appreciate the importance of a moment in time, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to be there that day to store the memories.
The second is him facing off to the referee, Andrew Waddell I think, in a game where Aberdeen, as they often did in those days, gave us a real doing at Celtic Park. Big Billy was furious and wouldn’t give an inch as Waddell tried to end him to the stands.
As a weird aside to that day, my Dad and I drove into the city centre after the game, and as we were parking in St Enoch square, Mary Marquis of all people reversed her car into Roy Aitken’s who was also parked there. Bizarre, unimportant, but a memory that stick in my young mind till this day.
God bless Cesar and sincere condolences to his family
God bless you Billy – immortal in memory
a very sad day.
RIP billy mcneill.
R.I.P. Billy McNeill a true Celtic legend and a giant of a man. Hail Hail Cesar YNWA
A glorious Sunday morning, April 25, 1965, I walked intae a wee newsagent, the papers were laid out on the counter and the FRONT page headline complete with a photie of THAT goal was the caption “Billy’s Bumper”.
JJ’s column this morning has a wonderful piece on Billy, in it he talks about the “clean niar”, love it.
RIP Billy McNeill.
Went to Lisbon in 1993 for Sporting Lisbon game,some guy Cadete scored twice, Big Billy and his son were on our flight,and stayed in the same hotel.After we landed,forget hotel check in,straight to the Estadio Nacional.Billy walked 2 plane loads of us round the stadium, remembering incidents in the game,when he walked, we walked, when he stopped, the 400 of us stopped, he had us eating out of his hand,telling his stories, you could hear a pin drop,a truly emotional memorable experience.RIP Billy.
I don’t have family photo’s above my bed , I don’t have holy pictures above my bed, I have a photo of Billy McNeill. RIP Billy
Seems Bernard Ponsonby has a great tribute to Billy, on STV News at 6 tonight.
There is most undoubtedly only One King Billy and he is immortal.
Great words Paul which also highlight the qualities of Billy the Man.
Heard you speak on Radio Scotland as well and you nailed it perfectly – well done.
We’ve lost a great Leader and a Heroic Celt, God rest ye Billy.
RIP Big Billy. A great man and captain of Celtic. What wonderful, joyous memories he brought to us.
Hail Hail Cesar.
Auldheid, I had been thinking . Myselflf this morning about seeing Big Billy at right backy . Bobby Evans was the centre half.
Sorry for the .istakes. Using mobile
SOUTH OF TUNIS on 23RD APRIL 2019 1:14 PM
………………………..
In 1969 (?)….3-3 on aggregate….Celtic v Benfica….Big Billy also knew which way a coin would land !
He was/still is Captain Celtic.
R.I.P. Billy…I first saw you in the Hoops in Season 1961/62.
I hope Billy can now watch his beloved Celtic achieve 10 in a Row…from the best seat in The House…In Paradise.
HH
RIP Billy. A hero who lived up to the status in football and in life
Just back from Celtic Park…paid my respects to the greatest captain ever…
My first memory of Billy was reading in the Evening Times that Our Lady’s High School captain was signing for Celtic…I was still at primary school and that news was important to me because I thought I would be going to OLH and obviously I wanted to play for the school team too…
As it was, things changed and I went to Holy Cross instead…
I first saw him playing at right-back and then at right-half alongside Bobby Evans and Bertie Peacock…However, big Billy and John Clark was a perfect pairing…Murdoch, McNeill and Clark, the perfect half-back line…
I remember too hanging about outside after games, watching the players leave…big Billy was always so tall, straight-backed…a leader of men…
Many, many years later I was fortunate enough to share a cup of tea with him and Liz in his kitchen…we talked about football as well as our mutual Lithuanian background…
We will all miss you Billy…a great human being, a role model for any kid and probably the greatest servant the club ever had…
Billy McNeill, Celtic Legend, RIP…
Big Billy is the ONLY Scottish captain of a fitba tae lead his team tae niar clean or durty.
Paul67 et al
Caesar joins the Pantheon
Brother Walfrid; Willy Maley; Jimmy McGrory; Jock Stein……
And Billy McNeill
RIP The King